Book 3: Chapter 21: The Mission Appears at Last

“My God, is that the Arc de Triomphe?!” Staring in the direction Xiao Dao pointed, Jonathan immediately widened his eyes and let out a groan of disbelief.

The Arc de Triomphe stood tall on the Place Charles de Gaulle. The street they were currently on was one of the roads leading to the Arc de Triomphe. From their current angle, they could already see the specific condition of the Arc de Triomphe.

The nearly 50-meter-tall Arc de Triomphe was now completely unrecognizable. Dark red flesh and sinewy veins clung to the reliefs inside and outside the arch. The large opening had turned into a slowly rotating dark green vortex. From within, some tall and ferocious Phantom Demons stepped out at regular intervals.

The Arc de Triomphe had become a Space-Time Portal covered in Phantom Demon flesh. Judging by the vigorously pulsing blood vessels, perhaps this famous Paris landmark had become a living Phantom Demon structure.

“How could this be!” Lü Kuang muttered blankly. “It shouldn’t be like this?”

The difference in the Phantom Demons’ arrival time, and the ferocity of the Blade Ashigaru and Kirutosumu, had already shattered his confidence. The stark difference between the Arc de Triomphe and the game scene was like the final straw that broke the camel’s back, completely crushing his self-assurance.

“Since the Arc de Triomphe has become a Phantom Demon structure, regardless of whether Akechi Samanosuke completed the story here or not, we can’t go there anymore!” Jonathan gritted his teeth and asked the group, “Should we still go to Notre-Dame de Paris…”

“We’ve come all this way, of course we should go see! If we abandon the game storyline reference, we have no idea where to find Akechi Samanosuke.” Xiao Dao said hoarsely. “The more time we waste, the more Paris citizens turn into Phantom Demons, and the slimmer our hope of completing the mission becomes!”

As he spoke, Xiao Dao abruptly turned the steering wheel. The police car swerved into a small alley, bypassed the Arc de Triomphe, and charged towards the Champs-Élysées. Moving along the direction of the Champs-Élysées was the shortest straight-line distance to Notre-Dame de Paris.

The Champs-Élysées cut across one-third of downtown Paris, with its eastern end being Paris’s largest and most beautiful Place de la Concorde. In the past, this was also the scenic spot with the most tourists. As for now… it had either become a main battlefield in Paris, or had completely turned into a playground for the Phantom Demons.

Sometimes, the straight-line distance isn’t necessarily the fastest shortcut. However, Qin Lun and Hill did not remind Xiao Dao this time. Upon seeing the Arc de Triomphe, a hint of surprise flashed across the faces of the two Serial Killers. They were now deep in rapid thought.

“Apostle 70053, you have discovered a Time-Space Node in the Phantom Demon World. You have met the mission conditions. You have obtained the remaining hint content for the Phantom Demon World. You have triggered the Otherworld Mission ‘Time-Space Core’.”

“Time-Space Core: The energy core of a Time-Space Node, containing immense time-space energy capable of opening a Starry Sky Gate. Some high-grade Time-Space Cores can open Space-Time Portals under the effect of time-space skills.”

“Hint: The principle of the Law Body is the same for Apostles and Reincarnators. After removing the Superstring Laws from a Reincarnator’s Soul Mark, what remains is the Apostle’s true Soul Sigil. In the Phantom Demon World’s killing scenario, killing a Reincarnator allows an Apostle to also obtain the Bloody Cube dropped by the Reincarnator.”

“Hint: Only some types of equipment and items used by Reincarnators can be used by Apostles. Equipment and items that cannot be used require the Apostle to pay a certain amount of Shattered Crystal to remove the specific Superstring Laws from them within the Shattered Starry Sky.”

“Otherworld Mission: Time-Space Core. Obtain at least one Time-Space Core. The Shattered Starry Sky has placed a Time-Space Energy Collector in the Apostle’s Storage Space. Throw the collector into a Time-Space Node. After a certain period, you will obtain a Time-Space Core. Obtaining any single Time-Space Core allows you to request a return via the Apostle Soul Mark.

The collection time for a Time-Space Core depends on the energy density of the Time-Space Node. Mission rewards will be calculated upon return based on the quantity and quality of Time-Space Cores obtained. The World Exploration Degree and World Origin obtained by the Apostle by following the Reincarnators’ mission will also be settled upon return, with additional rewards granted.”

“Warning: The Apostle’s identity has been disguised by the Shattered Starry Sky. The mission stay duration is the same as that for new Reincarnators. Exceeding the mission stay duration will result in a certain probability of the Apostle’s identity being exposed to the Reincarnators. If that happens, it will trigger a bounty hunt by the Reincarnators. The Apostle must pay close attention!”

So that’s how it is! For this Otherworld Mission, the Shattered Starry Sky’s main goal wasn’t the World Origin, but the Time-Space Core.

Qin Lun nodded slightly. He and Hill had misjudged the mission’s direction. They had only thought the Shattered Starry Sky sent them to the Phantom Demon World to seize World Origin, which is why they had focused their attention on the storylines and the Reincarnators.

If they had known earlier that the Shattered Starry Sky wanted them to seize Time-Space Cores, the two of them wouldn’t have followed the Reincarnators at all. They would have taken advantage of the initial Phantom Demon invasion to find small Time-Space Nodes and wait for opportunities.

However, it wasn’t too late to know now. The Phantom Demons were still fighting Paris’s armed forces. There were roughly eight hours left until nightfall…

With this thought, Qin Lun’s consciousness withdrew from the Death Notice’s mission hints. He turned his head to look at the other person in the car.

When Qin Lun looked at Hill, the Shepherd had also just finished his thinking and looked at the young man at the same time. Both saw wariness in each other’s eyes. One Time-Space Node could only produce one Time-Space Core. The two of them had now changed from companions to competitors.

With other Apostles, cooperation might still be possible. But for the two Serial Killers, given their ways of doing things and their temperaments, it was destined that the two could no longer continue to cooperate.

“Xiao Dao, pull the car over to the side!” Qin Lun pondered briefly before speaking.

“Doctor Qin, are you getting off?” Jonathan asked, startled.

“Yes. The fact that we haven’t encountered many Phantom Demons so far isn’t because they’ve disappeared. I suspect the Phantom Demons have gathered together and are currently attacking key targets in downtown Paris.” Qin Lun said with a smile. “The Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower, and the Place de la Concorde ahead on the Champs-Élysées… these places are all strategic points for the Phantom Demons and Paris’s armed forces. The police car won’t get through.”

“But if we go on foot, some team members won’t be able to keep up. If we encounter stray Phantom Demons, we’ll get separated!” Lü Kuang said with some panic.

In this team of newcomers, Liza was a woman and was carrying a baby girl. Her physical stamina was the worst among everyone. Lü Kuang, on the other hand, was usually lazy and belonged to the category of dorm-room nerds at his university. His stamina wasn’t great either. The two of them definitely wouldn’t be able to keep up with the others’ speed.

Qin Lun swept his gaze over everyone in the car and stopped talking. Although his face still wore a gentle smile, everyone could see the coldness in the young man’s eyes.

“Since we have already rejected Doctor Qin’s previous suggestion, we must now take responsibility for our own choices!” Hill’s face still carried the kindness characteristic of a priest, but the words from his mouth were equally icy. “Do not be afraid. Death is just the beginning of everything. The Lord still looks after everyone!”

“Father Hill, do you also approve of going to Notre-Dame de Paris on foot…?” Jonathan asked with an incredulous look.

“Mr. Jonathan, I thought you understood when you rejected Doctor Qin’s suggestion. I didn’t expect you to be so naive!” Hill shook his head in disappointment. “Everyone must strive and fight for their own lives and choices. The suggestion Doctor Qin made back then was the only possible shortcut that could have given everyone an advantage. Since you rejected it…”

“Are you saying that rejecting that suggestion means everyone must fight on their own?” Jonathan’s face turned pale as he anxiously said, “But we can clearly still stick together. If so many of us fight together, our success rate of killing low-level Phantom Demons would also be much higher!”

“Haha, is that so?” Hill narrowed his eyes and did not explain further.

Silence fell in the car. Actually, deep down, everyone understood that the streets definitely wouldn’t only have the lowest-level Blade Ashigaru. As time passed, the Phantom Demons that landed scattered across Paris would slowly gather together. It would be difficult to encounter just one or two stray Blade Ashigaru.

The team, including the baby girl, needed a total of 21 Phantom Demon Pearls. If Qin Lun and Hill exerted their full strength and held the front line, letting the others pick off the stragglers, then they still had a possibility of completing Main Mission One. However, doing so would mean Qin Lun and Hill would constantly be in danger, essentially becoming babysitters for this newcomer team.

If Qin Lun and Hill didn’t mind, that would be one thing. But if they were unwilling, how could Jonathan say it outright?

“What if we turn back and return to the police station now…” Lü Kuang said with a miserable expression.

“No, I don’t agree with that!” Jonathan said angrily. “Those Paris citizens are people too! I will absolutely not save myself at the cost of sacrificing others!”

“It’s too late to return to the police station now. Just now, I carefully observed the small groups of Phantom Demons the police car avoided along the way. Including that Kirutosumu, the Phantom Demons are purposefully herding people towards places like the Arc de Triomphe. Perhaps the Phantom Demons aren’t slaughtering humans mindlessly…” Qin Lun rubbed his chin, a glint of sharp light flashing in his eyes.

“Our retreat path is blocked. Now, aside from moving forward, there are no other choices! Of course, you can still follow me or Father Hill. But if we encounter Phantom Demons, you’ll have to rely on yourselves!”

“Doctor Qin, are you and Father Hill separating as well?” Xiao Dao suddenly asked with some surprise.

“Haha, I won’t be going to Notre-Dame de Paris. I plan to go to the other storyline location Lü Kuang mentioned – the zoo. In the game storyline, both Akechi Samanosuke and Jacques Brown’s son Henry get captured by the Phantom Demons’ chief scientist, Guildenstern, and taken to the zoo. Perhaps there will be great gains there!” Hill said calmly.

A light flashed in Qin Lun’s eyes. It was inevitable that Hill would separate from him. In the game storyline, Guildenstern developed the time machine, which should be the origin of those Phantom Demon Time-Space Nodes. However, the zoo, as the lair of the boss Guildenstern, was obviously extremely dangerous. It seemed the Shepherd was planning to go all in.

“You can choose for yourselves whether to follow me or Father Hill!” Qin Lun grinned. Xiao Dao had already stopped the car by then. Qin Lun directly opened the door, got out, and without looking back, ran along the street towards Notre-Dame de Paris.